ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Saturday, July 12th 2014 [ME NewsWire]
During the MoI Ramadan Council, that was organized by the Law Respect Culture Bureau at the General Secretariat of the Office of H.H Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Interior, the participants called upon competent authorities in the UAE to set up a mechanism to reduce absconding cases among domestic workers, as well as to track and identify the whereabouts of the absconding domestic workers as soon as possible.
The Council was hosted by businessman Nasser Obeid Al Yamahi in Al Shalila area in Abu Dhabi, and moderated by media personality, Emirati news presenter Faisal bin Huraiz, from Sky News Arabia. Participants recommended that the Ministry of Interior establishes a competent office to directly supervise the mechanism to bring in domestic workers from abroad and to regulate relations, in order to protect the rights of both workers and their employers.
The Council also called for reducing the fees and costs of bringing in domestic workers from abroad by implementing several procedures, notably the need for workers wishing to work abroad to undergo medical tests in their home country, to determine if they are medically fit, before paying their travel costs.
Participants recommended intensifying awareness programs through mass and social media, in order to educate family members on the means to deal with domestic workers. These programs would explain at lengths the rights and obligations of both parties, and would ensure a healthy relationship between them.
In his opening speech, Nasser Obeid Al Yamahi expressed his thanks and appreciation to Lt. General HH Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior. He praised the Ramadan Councils organized by the Ministry of Interior, represented by the Law Respect Culture Bureau, stressing that convening such councils is an opportunity to submit and exchange views and to promote cooperation between the ministry and the various society institutions in the UAE.
Al Yamahi expressed his delight and pride for hosting the Ramadan Council, to discuss the important topic of domestic workers, because housekeeping help has become necessary in almost every Emirati household. “Hiring domestic help is a delicate and unavoidable issue because most families cannot do without house-help, in light of the modern life requirements and the luxurious life in the Emirati society,” Al Yamahi pointed out. “However, it is also a risky matter, if the relation between domestic workers and their employers is not properly managed and based on the Sharia rules and laws.”
Al Yamahi also stressed on the importance of deciding whether the family really needs to hire a domestic worker or not, and not to do so to impress others of their wealth and status. He said: “The number of house-help must be consistent with real need for them. Employing more domestic workers than needed incurs unnecessary costs and yields negative effects on family life. On the other hand, hiring less help than needed would incur significant responsibilities and working hours on the domestic worker, and may cause them to abscond or have objectionable actions.”
For his part, Yusuf Saeed Al Mutlaai warned against from imposing long working hours on domestic workers or forcing them to carry out strenuous tasks that exceed their physical and mental capacity. He noted that abuse and work pressure may prompt domestic workers to abscond, ultimately causing trouble for both themselves and their sponsor.
He stressed the need to respect this category and to treat them humanely and fairly, because they become part of the family structure due to the nature of their work within their sponsors’ households. He added: “We are bound by our genuine Emirati traditions to treat domestic workers fairly, regardless of their race or religion, as stipulated by the applicable laws that guarantee rights of all individuals without exception.
From his part, Hassan Abdullah Al Shujaai described domestic workers as a time bomb, particularly when their relation with their sponsor is tense, which may prompt them to escape. "Absconding domestic workers may have security and social implications on the employers’ family and the entire society, because nobody knows where the maid may go or what she would do to stay out of sight," he continued.
Al Shujaai criticized the so-called immoral people who encourage house maids to abscond or those who shelter them, taking advantage of their illegal status to put them to work for cheap wages.
He also called for increasing domestic workers' probation period to be decided jointly with recruitment agencies. "The probation period should not be less than 6 months. This would allow employers to get know their hired help better and assess their character and behavior, as well as their ability to carry out the requested tasks," he added. He explained that some domestic workers abscond from their sponsors in less than 2 months; this would still incur the sponsors the full costs that amount to AED 10 thousand.
Badr Mubarak said that extreme reliance on domestic workers requires increasing awareness about means to deal with this category through educational and cultural programs across the various media that target all society classes. This aims at establishing the proper rules to guarantee the safety of families and prevent the unfortunate accidents caused by domestic workers.
Mubarak added that domestic workers come from countries with different cultures and traditions than the Emirati society. “To this end, we need to pay attention to this cultural difference in order to protect members of the family especially children, against any possible negative effect on their behavior,” he noted; stressing the importance of limiting the tasks of domestic workers to home chores and to not involve them in the children upbringing process.
For his part, Saif Al Yamahi stressed that indifference, recklessness and lack of close follow-up of domestic workers by the sponsor may encourage unpleasant behaviors. He stressed the need to be cautious to prevent unwanted outcomes, and warned against tyranny and ill-treatment.
Saif expressed his confidence that domestic workers in the UAE are treated humanely and fairly, a feature that may not be available to them in other world countries. They are provided with the best clothing, food and accommodation, as well as a fair wage that they cash in fully, because all their requirements are met in the best possible way.
Elaborating on the rules of Islam related to treating domestic workers, Sheikh Khaled Mohammed, the Imam and Preacher of the Sheikh Sahkhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque said: “Domestic workers are blessings from Allah and should be treated fairly. They should also be provided with necessary education in order to acquaint them with the UAE society traditions, for the benefit of our families and children.”
Sheikh Khaled Mohammed also noted the importance of providing domestic workers with awareness and advice instead of mistreatment because this would help prevent unwanted outcomes and potential crisis. “Respecting domestic workers’ feelings, humanity and ensuring their full rights and rightful wages fall within the teachings of Islam.”
For his part, Suhail Nasser Al Yamahi said that good treatment is the basis of relations with domestic workers, because kind words go a long way, and is better than yelling or screaming or threatening. Domestic workers are people just like us, and Allah Almighty has commanded us to care of them and to treat them well.
Amer Nasser Al Yamahi also noted that relations with domestic workers are governed by a set of rules and regulations that should not be exceeded or violated. Reliance on domestic workers should be determined as well as the tasks and jobs they are required to fulfill, with a view to protect the privacy and cohesion of the family.
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The Arabic-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the Arabic-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.
Contacts
The UAE Minister of Interior's General Secretariat, Tactical Affairs and Security Media Department
Abu Dhabi Police GHQ - Security Media
Chris Cron +971-(0)-50-987-1317
E-mail: cron.media@hotmail.com
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